We are so proud - after 3 rounds and nearly 2 years the final announcement for the winner of the Art Mill International Design Competition has been announced: "The competition was won by Chile-based practice, Elemental, whose design was described by the jury as ‘a serene artwork, where the structure is the architecture’. Elemental is led by Alejandro Aravena, the 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate, and is supported by climate engineers, Transsolar; structural engineers, Schlaich Bergermann; and global design consultants, Stantec. "
The environmental concept for the Art Mill project reflects the local identity as the sun, the wind, the ground and the sea, by creating a large shaded outdoor piazza under a high mass concrete roof with controlled wind induced cross ventilation. Connecting to deep saline aquifers large reflective pools in this space act as local cooling, by shifting the cool water temperatures of the Arab Gulf via the aquifer into the hot summer times. The large ramp roof is accessible and has integrated skylights for the below neighborhood village as well walkable photovoltaic areas, balancing all artificial lighting demand of the project.
Large chimney elements, reflecting and extending the silo structure of the historical mill building, act as wind and thermal induced ventilation chimneys for the piazza and some of them in addition as light pipes to illuminate the entrance plaza to the museum as the heart of the project.
The museum has fully conditioned galleries reflecting conservatory requirements with controllable natural daylight access but minimal air rates and basic conditioning by radiant floors.